Make resolutions to help prevent child abuse!

The new year symbolizes a new start and many people make new year’s resolutions to declare what they are committing to do starting in this new year.

Why not make resolutions to help prevent child abuse and increase child well-being?

We added links to resources to help in these efforts.

First, consider the Five Protective Factors

The US Center for the Study of Social Policy has identified the following factors as important buffers to prevent child abuse:Parental Resilience – The ability for parents to cope and bounce back from all kinds of challenges.Social Connections – Friends, family members, neighbors, and other members of the community who provide emotional support and concrete assistance to parents.Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development – Accurate information about raising young children and appropriate expectations for their behavior.Concrete Support in Times of Need – Financial security to cover day-to-day expenses and unexpected costs that come up from time to time, access to formal supports like Medicaid, and informal support from social networks.Social and Emotional Competence of Children – A child’s ability to interact positively with others and communicate their emotions effectively.

Consider how you can either help increase these protective factors in your life and in the life of parents and children in your life.

Decreasing Adverse Childhood Experiences

Additionally, our aim is to minimize and prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can negatively affect a child’s well-being, functioning, and future. ACEs not only hurt a child now; it affects their lives through adulthood, including greater risk of developing health problems, being a victim of abuse or becoming an abuser, struggling with school and work, and so forth. The more of the 10 ACEs (pictured below) a child experiences, the more of these challenges a child faces. (For more information and to take a test on how many of these ACEs you’ve experienced, go here).

Three types of adversity that make for a tough childhood.

Resolve to take the steps you need to prevent and minimize adverse childhood experiences in the life of your child and/or children in your life.